On This Day In History
June 8th
452 Italy invaded by Attila the Hun
793 Vikings in long ships from modern-day Norway plunder St Cuthbert’s monastery on Lindisfarne Island, off the northeast coast of England capturing and killing monks
1191 King Richard I of England arrives at Acre in modern day Israel to join the Siege of Acre during the Third Crusade
1783 Laki volcano in southern Iceland begins 8-month eruption, killing 10,000 and causing widespread famines throughout Asia and Europe
1789 James Madison introduces a proposed Bill of Rights in the US House of Representatives
1918 Nova Aquila, brightest nova since Kepler’s nova of 1604, discovered
1987 New Zealand’s Labour government legislates against nuclear weapons and nuclear powered vessels in NZ. Only nation to legislate against nuclear power.
Did You Know?
Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patents the 1st vacuum cleaner, calls it a “sweeping machine”
Today in History in 1869
Would You Believe?
Reds’ Edd Roush falls asleep in center during long infield argument Heinie Groh goes to wake him, but umpire ejects Roush for delay of game
Today in History in 1920
June 9th
68 Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, imploring his secretary Epaphroditos to slit his throat to evade a Senate-imposed death by flogging
721 Odo of Aquitaine defeats a Umayyad Muslim army at the Battle of Toulouse
1549 Book of Common Prayer is adopted by the Church of England
1815 End of the Congress of Vienna: New European political situation is set
1856 500 Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa, and head west for Salt Lake City, Utah, carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts
1977 Silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain celebrated with fireworks
2019 Over 1 million people protest in Hong Kong over proposed new extradition laws to China in one of largest-ever protests in the city
Did You Know?
1st Automat restaurant opens at 818 Chestnut St, Philadelphia
Today in History in 1902
Would You Believe?
The Harvard Corporation, the more powerful of the two administrative boards of Harvard, is established. First legal corporation in the Americas.
Today in History in 1650
June 10th
1190 Third Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River (modern Turkey) leading an army to Jerusalem
1786 A landslide dam on the Dadu River caused by earthquake ten days earlier collapses, killing 100,000 in the Sichuan province of China
1898 US Marines land in Cuba during the Spanish–American War
1916 Great Arab Revolt begins against ruling Ottoman turks
1963 US Equal Pay Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy
1977 Apple Computer ships its first Apple II computers
2003 The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission
Did You Know?
Mrs Clements of England markets first paste-style mustard
Today in History in 1720
Would You Believe?
Andrew Jackson‘s African Grey parrot “Poll” is removed from his funeral for swearing at The Hermitage, Tennessee. Funeral attendee William Menefee Norment recorded: “Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house”
Today in History in 1845
June 11th
1184 BC Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned, according to calculations by Eratosthenes
631 Emperor Taizong of Tang of China, sends envoys to the Xueyantuo bearing gold and silk for the release of Chinese prisoners captured during transition from Sui to Tang from northern frontier; succeeds in freeing 80,000
1776 Continental Congress creates committee to draft a Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston as members
1963 US President JFK says segregation is morally wrong and that it is “time to act”
1987 Margaret Thatcher is 1st British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term
2014 Islamic State of Iraq forces seize control of government offices and other important buildings in the northern city of Mosul
Did You Know?
Brothers John and Clarence Anglin and fellow inmate Frank Morris escape from Alcatraz Island prison, the only ones to do so
Today in History in 1962
Would You Believe?
George Dennett, aided by Gilbert Jessop, dismisses Northamptonshire for 12 runs, the lowest total in first-class cricket
Today in History in 1907
June 12th
1381 Peasants’ Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath
1830 Beginning of the French colonization of Algeria: 34,000 French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers, at Sidi Ferruch
1931 Al Capone is indicted on 5,000 counts of prohibition and perjury
1942 Anne Frank gets her diary as a birthday present in Amsterdam
1964 Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison in South Africa
2018 singapore summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump – first time a North Korean leader and an incumbent US President have ever met
Did You Know?
“Toy Story 3″, directed by Lee Unkrich, starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, premieres at the Taormina Film Fest in Italy – 1st animated film to earn 1 billion
Today in History in 2010
Would You Believe?
Zimbabwe discards its own currency, offering an exchange of $1 for 35 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars
Today in History in 2015
June 13th
1373 Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of Alliance (world’s oldest extant) signed in London
1866 US House of representatives passes 14th Amendment (Civil rights)
1878 Congress of Berlin begins, determines the territories of the states in the Balkan peninsula following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78
1956 The last British troops leave the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt
2000 South Korean President Kim Dae Jung meets leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il, for the beginning of the first ever inter-Korea summit, in the northern capital of Pyongyang
Did You Know?
Longest recorded attack of hiccups begins: Charlie Osborne gets the hiccups and continues for 68 years, dies 11 months after it stops
Today in History in 1922
Would You Believe?
Floods in Tbilisi, Georgia, kill 12 people and free animals from the city’s zoo, including bears and hippos, to roam the city
Today in History in 2015
June 14th
1381 Richard II in England meets leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt on Blackheath. The Tower of London is stormed by rebels who enter without resistance.
1645 Battle of Naseby, Leicestershire: “New Model Army” under Oliver Cromwell & Thomas Fairfax beat royalists forces of English King Charles I
1821 Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Ismail Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, bringing the 300 year old Sudanese kingdom to an end
1940 Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp opens in Nazi controlled Poland with Polish POWs, later expanded to include civilian Jews and gypsies (approx. 3 million would die within its walls)
1941 Estonia loses 11,000 inhabitants as a consequence of mass deportations into Siberia
1982 Argentina surrenders to Great Britain, ending the 74-day Falklands Islands conflict
Did You Know?
US Continental Congress adopts the Stars & Stripes flag, designed by Francis Hopkinson, replacing the Grand Union flag
Today in History in 1777
Would You Believe?
First mammal made extinct by human-induced climate change announced – the Bramble Cay melomys from Torres Strait
Today in History in 2016